Curses and Bonds
by Prince Arjuna
Summary: Itachi Uchiha should be dead at this point, but somehow, he found himself not only alive, but also in a completely different world where shinobi never existed. After fighting a group of undead, unintentionally seducing a red-haired merchant girl, he stumbled upon Chrom and his Shepherds, where he came to know a certain enigmatic tactician.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** Hello, dear reader. This is me, Prince Arjuna. It's been almost a year since the last time I ever wrote any of my fanfictions, and I still have quite a lot of fanfictions to update sooner or later, but now, I've decided to make a new story, which is a crossover between _Fire Emblem: Awakening_ and _Naruto_. This story will focus on Itachi, a character of _Naruto_ who should have died in Narutoverse but somehow is alive and well while finding himself in the world of _Fire Emblem: Awakening_. The timeline of this fanfiction is around the time after Chapter 4 of Fire Emblem: Awakening, Two Falchions. And beware spoiler for Naruto reader.

**Summary:** Itachi Uchiha should be dead at this point, but somehow, he found himself not only alive, but also in a completely different world where shinobi never existed. After fighting a group of undead, unintentionally seducing a red-haired merchant girl, he stumbled upon Chrom and his Shepherds, where he came to know a certain enigmatic tactician.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto_ or _Fire Emblem Awakening_. Don't be silly.

Enjoy, and if you have time, give me your opinions. May subject to improvement soon.

* * *

The moment he came to his senses, which shouldn't be possible considering his current condition, he realized that he wasn't dead. Being dead was something he was familiar with and he even spent quite a time as an undead after his real death, whatever that meant. He found himself on the ground, feeling pretty much alive instead of being, well, dead.

Itachi Uchiha knew that it shouldn't be possible, but here he was, feeling the beating of his heart and the warmth of his body. His undead body of Edo Tensei, as far as he could remember, was technically lifeless and was merely moving instead of living. He knew that he wasn't an undead, that was for sure. He lifted one of his hands and looked into his palm. There were no signature cracks in the body of those resurrected by the forbidden Jutsu. Then, he touched his own face with that hand.

It was no illusion. Itachi Uchiha was really alive. He didn't know why, but he was really alive. There was no Genjutsu or any sort of illusion involved in this. Being a master of illusion himself, he was sure that this was real.

"Why… why am I alive?" the young Uchiha muttered to himself as he spent a couple of minutes on the ground. Then, he decided that being on the ground wasn't the best way to figure out his current situation, so he got up on his feet. He grunted as he picked himself up.

Yes, he could feel his own body. He knew he wasn't a moving corpse, but a living body. It pretty much confirmed that he wasn't a zombie that had been summoned from that fouled Jutsu. Then, he realized that he was wearing his cloud-patterned black cloak, the one that he wore during his time as a member of Akatsuki, instead of the plain black one that he wore during his tenure as one of Kabuto's undead lackeys. He also wore his forehead protector with the crossed out sigil of Konoha, the sign of his betrayal that was driven by his love of his village.

He still could remember that time when he committed a massacre upon his own clan in order to prevent a civil war between the Uchiha and the rest of Konoha. It wasn't something that he felt proud of. In fact, if he were to list things that he regretted doing, committing that massacre would be placed as the number one. However for the sake of Konoha, the peace that he sought, and for the sake of the burning Will of Fire within him, he intentionally made himself a despicable villain for the greater good. He realized that despite his good intention, his actions were misguided, and he brought on more harm than good. He even caused his beloved little brother to succumb to the curse of their bloodline, the curse of hatred, turning him into a monster who sought for the destruction of Konoha due to the suffering that it caused to Itachi.

"Heh… I suppose there's no point crying over the spilled milk," Itachi muttered to himself again. He could only hope that his last words and the visions he gave to Sasuke before he was released from his undead state was enough to change him. Right now, the only thing he could do was to trust in Naruto. Yet now, he had something to be concerned about, namely his somehow mysterious resurrection in a seemingly unfamiliar place.

He sniffed the air and observed his surroundings. So far, there was nothing out of ordinary about this place, but he didn't remember seeing this place while he was alive. The sun was in the sky, which was obvious, and he could hear the sounds of cicadas and birds around him. Feeling that there was no point staying there, the prodigious Uchiha decided to walk around , searching for any clue about this place. For one, it was clear that he wasn't in Konoha or any of the hidden villages.

Being an experienced Shinobi, if he found himself in an unfamiliar terrain, he needed to do a little observation and reconnaissance. As he walked, he felt a little stiff, probably the side effect of being dead and undead. Imagine being a zombie who couldn't feel pain, and then finding yourself alive and well, you could probably imagine Itachi's current condition. But Itachi knew that he would soon adapt to this, given enough time.

As he walked, he figured out another thing. While his time as an Edo Tensei undead was a couple of hours at worst, a day or two at best, being an undead would mean that he wouldn't have to drink or eat in order to sustain himself. But now that he's pretty much alive, he would need to drink and eat. And being in the middle of an unfamiliar place, it would be hard to find something to sustain himself.

Well, he could just go to a nearby forest and hunt for some animals to eat. He wasn't very fond of venison or meat in general, but considering his current situation, he knew that he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He didn't really have any weapons in his possession, which was kind of expected, but he knew that he could manage with a clever usage of his Sharingan and his Ninjutsu.

Deciding to go towards the direction of a nearby forest, Itachi started to walk, but a sound of screaming caused him to stop. Then he heard more noises, and he knew that someone was in trouble. Deciding that hunting for a bear could wait, he dashed towards the direction of the noise. Utilizing his chakra into his feet, he accelerated towards the noise, where he was greeted by a scene that baffled him.

There was a caravan and a couple of people, probably merchants, were being surrounded by more than two dozen strange-looking people armed with weapons. The strange-looking people seemed to have some kind of strange purple smoke coming out of their body, and their movements seemed strange, which reminded him of those who were summoned by Edo Tensei itself. Their strange coloration didn't help either. They moaned and groaned as they moved, didn't seem to show any sort of intelligence and only moved based on instinct.

Being a former undead himself, Itachi could recognize an undead when he saw one. Those things were clearly undead, but were different compared to the Edo Tensei's undead. While those resurrected by the forbidden Jutsu retained some sort of intelligence that they had while still alive, these weren't the same. He didn't know what caused this, or whether the Edo Tensei was something that summoned these things, but there was one thing that was clear.

He needed to rescue these merchants.

"N-no…" one of the merchants, a red-haired young woman squeaked in fear as two of those living corpses cornered her near one of her carts. "Please help me!" she cried. The rest of the people who accompanied her did nothing because they were paralyzed in fear. Itachi found no reason to wait as he performed a series of complicated hand seals to use one of his Ninjutsu.

_"Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger!"_ Concentrating his chakra, Itachi formed a ring near his mouth using his thumb and middle finger before he released a massive fireball towards the horde of the undead. _"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"_ He minimized the size of his fireball so that he wouldn't accidentally hurt the merchants that he wanted to protect. The result was that a few of those living corpses were burned to crisp. Then Itachi took his chance to grab one of the swords on the ground, which belonged to one of those corpses that had burned into nothingness.

The merchants were surprised as Itachi apparently rescued them by throwing a fireball towards the undead warriors that were surrounding them. Wielding the iron sword, Itachi stood protectively between the merchants and the living corpses, holding the sword in reverse grip. He activated his Sharingan, preparing himself to use more of his Ninjutsu to protect these merchants.

"Are you alright?" Itachi asked the merchants, but the question was directed to the female, red-haired merchant who was standing behind him. The young female merchant squeaked in surprise as Itachi directed that question to her.

"I-I'm alright!" she answered. The other merchants also answered to Itachi's question.

"Good," Itachi nodded before he shifted his attention to the undead warriors around them. Somehow, they were shifting their attention to Itachi, which was a good thing, considering that at least the merchants wouldn't be harmed as long as he could fight these things. "I'll kill them all. So, please hang in there. I assure you that none of you shall be harmed…"

Holding his sword in his right hand and making a hand seal with his left, he looked at the living corpses around them. It would be difficult, but he knew that he could manage it somehow.

"I am Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf, and I shall be your opponent…" Itachi said coolly, preparing to attack.

* * *

"What do you think, Robin?"

A blue-haired young man in regal attire, which was sleeveless on the right side of the clothing, spoke to the dark-haired young woman beside him. They were observing the battle that unfolded in front of them. They were in a distance that allowed them to see the mysterious cloaked person fighting the Risens to protect the merchants from them.

"That man seems to be skilled enough to fight all those Risens by himself, but he may end up being overwhelmed due to their large number," the woman replied to the blue-haired young man. "What should we do now, Chrom? Should we jump in and assist him?" The tactician looked at the prince of Ylisse.

"…" Chrom stroked his chin with his hand for a while before he nodded. "That man is putting his life on the line to protect those merchants. That alone is enough reason for us to assist him…" He put his hand on the hilt of Falchion that was sheathed on his waist before he looked behind to address the others. "Shepherds, be ready! We're going into battle!"

Robin smiled. "Alright, let's get started now…" The tactician opened her tome, preparing to use her magic in battle.

"Robin, do your things," Chrom spoke to Robin before he unsheathed his Falchion. "Shepherds, attack!" he yelled before he led the charge, followed by the rest of the Shepherds. Robin, as the tactician of the Shepherds, a small army led by Prince Chrom of Ylisse, guided the members of the Shepherds into their places after formulating a few strategies on the fly.

"Virion, stay with me!" Robin ordered the archer of the team, Virion to stay beside her before she looked at the newest addition of the team, Lon'qu and another member of Shepherds, Vaike.

"Lon'qu, Vaike, protect both Miriel and Lissa!" Then, she looked at the Cavaliers of the team, Stahl and Sully. "Stahl, Sully, go and assist Chrom!"

She then focused on the most experienced member of the Shepherds, Frederick. "You stay with us too, and protect Sumia from the archers!"

The only Pegasus Knight in their group hovered above them, watching out for archers in the group of the Risens.

The sudden appearance of the Shepherds was quite a surprise to Itachi, and when Chrom approached him, the Shinobi raised his sword in order to protect himself from any sort of harm.

"Peace, friend…" the prince spoke to Itachi in soft tone, lowering his Falchion to show him that he meant no harm. "We are here to assist you. Fighting these Risens together is better than fighting them alone."

"Risens?" the Shinobi frowned, seemingly unfamiliar with the term.

"We call them Risens," Chrom pointed at the undead warriors around them. "They have been around for quite a while. They are mindless, but they can be dangerous to the living. It is best for us to deal with them as soon as possible."

Itachi lowered his sword before he nodded. "Yes, thank you…" He returned his focus back on the Risens around them. "I appreciate the assistance."

"I am Chrom, the leader of the Shepherds," the prince introduced himself as he assumed a battle stance as he stood beside Itachi. "Who might you be?"

"My name is Itachi," the Shinobi also introduced himself. "But more introductions can wait. Let's kill all these 'Risens'."

"Agreed…" Chrom nodded.

With the help of the Shepherds, a seemingly hopeless battle turned into a one-sided slaughter. The Shepherds acted in coordinated manner, thanks to the tactician of the team, Robin. In less than half an hour, all the Risens were defeated, and they dissipated into purple smoke after being defeated, leaving behind their broken weapons and a couple of miscellaneous things that could be looted and put into the team's inventory.

"It seems that all the Risens have been defeated, milord," Frederick came down from his horse as he went to the prince's side, folding his arms behind his back.

Itachi went to speak with the merchants, particularly the red-haired female. The female merchant blushed as she expressed her gratitude to the Shinobi for saving them from being killed by the Risens.

"P-please take this, sir." The red-haired merchant handed Itachi a few things like vulnerary, foods and a couple of things while expressing her gratitude. "I am thankful that you rescued us. I-if you weren't here, we might have died…"

"Please don't mention it," Itachi shrugged it off as he took the things that were given to him. At long last, he finally had something to fill his empty stomach. He put all of those things into the pouch that was given by the merchants. Then, the merchants bid them farewell before they left.

Seeing that the merchants had gone, Chrom approached the cloaked Shinobi. "Now that everything seems to settle down, let us talk," the prince said to Itachi. The Shinobi nodded, looking at Chrom with his crimson eyes. Chrom found those eyes rather unnerving, but he decided to not voice it out.

"Yes, I suppose that is for the best," Itachi said. He put down his sword so that their conversation could flow smoothly.

"Well, let me begin by introducing ourselves first," Chrom said as Robin approached him. She looked at the mysterious cloaked man and saw his crimson eyes. Like Chrom, she also found those eyes to be rather unnerving, and she swore that those eyes seemed to glow slightly when she focused hard enough. Then she noticed that she had been staring at the mysterious man before she looked away. "This is Robin, our tactician," Chrom introduced Robin to Itachi.

"Yes, I am pleased to meet you," Robin said to Itachi, smiling. She looked at Itachi suspiciously, still feeling alarmed by his red eyes. "And… who might you be?"

Itachi noticed her discomfort, but he decided to do nothing about it.

"My name is Itachi Uchiha," he introduced himself, bowing slightly. "Itachi Uchiha of Konoha…" both Chrom and Robin frowned when they heard about Konoha. It seemed that they never heard about such place before. "I suppose that there are more things that need to be addressed, but not here."

"Yes," Chrom nodded. Somehow, he felt something familiar after meeting this Itachi. It felt like that time when he met Robin at the field a couple of weeks ago. "This place is not a good place for an extended conversation, and we should head back to Ylisse as soon as possible. We have to bring back the news about our negotiation with Regna Ferox."

"Ylisse?" Itachi frowned. It seemed that Ylisse was the name of a place and so did Regna Ferox.

"I know there are many things that you want to ask, but let's head back to Ylisse first…" Robin said, still smiling. She didn't know whether to trust this Itachi person or not, but since Chrom had decided to put his trust on him, she decided to do the same as well.

"Yes, if you say s-!" suddenly, Itachi felt a sharp pain inside his head before his vision turned crimson. "Ngh!" he put his hands on the sides of his head, trying to resist the pain. Both Chrom and Robin were alarmed by this, so was Frederick and the rest of the Shepherds.

"Itachi!" The prince immediately went to his side. "Itachi, what's wrong?"

"Ngh! Argh!" the pain became more intense with each second passing. The Shepherds started to panic, and Robin shouted at the Shepherds, asking for Lissa to use her power to ease Itachi's pain.

"Itachi, hang in there!" Robin said, grabbing Itachi's shoulder. Lissa was already nearby, holding her staff while having a worried look on her face. They didn't know what happened, but they were sure of one thing.

Itachi was in great pain.

"Itachi, can you hear me?" Itachi heard a voice, which was distorted due to the pain he suffered. He didn't know whose voice was that. He could feel healing magic seeping into his body, thanks to Lissa using her staff on him. After a while, Itachi's vision darkened and he passed out.

TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Hello, dear reader. This is me again, Prince Arjuna. Sorry for the late update, but this is the second chapter of this fanfiction. I still need to improve a few things, but I hope this one is satisfactory for now. Also, while I'll be putting Itachi as the main character here, I won't make him steal the plot and make him the center of everything. There will be romance as well, so please look forward for it.

**Summary:** Itachi Uchiha should be dead at this point, but somehow, he found himself not only alive, but also in a completely different world where shinobi never existed. After fighting a group of undead, unintentionally seducing a red-haired merchant girl, he stumbled upon Chrom and his Shepherds, where he came to know a certain enigmatic tactician.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto_ or _Fire Emblem Awakening_. Don't be silly.

Enjoy, and if you have time, give me your opinions. May subject to improvement soon.

* * *

_"Hey, do you have any plan this evening, Itachi?"_

It's been a long time since the last time Itachi ever experienced a dream, especially this particular dream. It was back then, when he was still a respectable Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village instead of being an international criminal as a member of Akatsuki. In this dream, he was wearing his ANBU's armor over his high-collared black shirt and his forehead protector, which hadn't been scratched out yet. He was talking to a female Shinobi, who was wearing a stylized Uchiha's getup, which consisted of a black high-collared black shirt and black miniskirt and also a pair of black, tight shorts underneath it.

The female Shinobi was around his age, probably around thirteen to fourteen. She wore her dark hair short and she wore her forehead protector around her neck like a choker. Her facial feature, her black eyes and fan-shaped insignia etched on her back indicated that she was also an Uchiha like Itachi. She also wore forearm protectors on both arms.

_"Is there anything you want from me?"_

Itachi replied to the girl with another question in his usual cool and detached manner. The Uchiha girl blinked several times before she pouted.

_"Mou, didn't I tell you to step acting so formal with me? We're childhood friends, remember?"_

The Uchiha girl spoke in slight indignation, causing the prodigious teenager to chuckle a bit.

_"Sorry. Well, what is it you want from me?"_

The Uchiha girl fidgeted slightly as if in embarrassment. One could clearly see that she was having a crush on this particular genius of a Shinobi.

_"W-well, if you don't mind, will you join me for some tea? I heard there is a new teahouse just opened recently. Will you join me, Itachi?"_

Itachi looked at the Uchiha girl when she invited him to go to a teahouse. It's been a while since the last time he went to one. On one hand, he would like to visit one to unwind himself after doing many missions these last few weeks, but on the other hand, he still needed to submit reports to the Hokage regarding his missions. Seeing that he still needed to fulfill his responsibility as a Shinobi, he had to make it clear that there was something that he needed to do.

_"Umm… I'm sorry, but I can't this evening. I still need to submit my reports to the Hokage."_

As if in disappointment, the Uchiha girl looked down. Itachi felt sorry for her.

_"I-I see. W-well, it's okay. It's your responsibility, after all."_

Without thinking, Itachi reached out to touch her shoulder, causing the girl to let out a cute yelp. Smiling, Itachi spoke to her in reassuring tone.

_"How about next time? Let's go to the teahouse next time, okay?"_

The girl's expression brightened.

_"Promise…?"_

_ "___…_I promise."_

At this point, the dreamscape started to get blurry. Itachi tried to recall the name of the girl, but he found himself unable to remember her name. It felt like there was something preventing him from remembering her name. He got a feeling that it wasn't something that he would rather recall, but not knowing her name made him feel rather uncomfortable. As he struggled to remember her name, the dreamscape collapsed before everything went dark.

And the very first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a sharp knife…

…that was used to peel an apple, followed by the person who was holding the knife to peel that said apple.

"Hello?" said the person who was peeling the apple. "Feeling better now?" the person was a dark-haired young woman clad in a coat with eye-shaped patterns on it. She was sitting beside the bed Itachi was on, and she was currently trying her best to peel an apple. One could see that she had done quite a passable job, providing that one could overlook the fact that she had cut too deep into the apple while peeling the fruit.

"…Where am I?" the Shinobi sat up, looking at his surroundings. He was in a room or some sorts, and there were only two of them in the room.

"You're in the sickbay, Itachi," said the young woman, still trying her best to peel the apple. "Oops!" she accidentally cut a large chunk of that apple as she peeled it. "You've been unconscious for almost a week," she helpfully informed him.

"A week?" the Shinobi looked at the young woman bemusedly. "What happened to me?" he asked.

"You passed out," the young woman answered. "There's nothing wrong to you. You probably suffered a migraine, though," she informed. "And… I had introduced myself to you before, but I'm Robin, the tactician of the Shepherd."

Itachi could recall the time when the young woman, Robin introduced herself. He bowed slightly. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Robin," he said in polite tone. "I'm Itachi Uchiha…" he introduced himself.

"I know…" Robin said with a smile. "You already introduced yourself before you passed out. And please drop the formality when you are around me, alright?" she told Itachi that due to him addressing her as 'Miss' earlier. "And you should thank Lissa for watching over you. She's the one who treat you while you're unconscious."

"Lissa?" the Shinobi blinked. He could recall that particular blond and short young lady at that time before he passed out. "Yes, I'll remember that…" then, he heard a growling noise before he realized that it was from his stomach. He remembered that he hadn't eaten anything yet.

"Ah, you haven't eaten anything yet, have you?" Robin asked before she took a plate which had unevenly-sliced pieces of apple on it. "Good thing I prepared this in advance. I'm sorry because this isn't much. I'll tell other people to prepare something for you to eat," she said with a smile.

Itachi looked at the food prepared for him. The pieces of apple didn't seem to be appetizing, but since they were meant to be eaten instead of being pieces of artworks, he thought that it wasn't right to complain before he started eating. Because of the way Robin cut them, they weren't much, but Itachi couldn't exactly complain about it. At least he could fill his stomach with something.

And so, after finishing the apple, Itachi looked at Robin, smiling. Even though he's still feeling hungry, he was glad that he could at least eat something. "Thank you for the food, Miss Robin…"

Robin smiled as well. "You're welcome," then, she frowned. "Didn't I tell you to drop the formality, Itachi?"

"I'm sorry. I did that on reflex," the Shinobi apologized.

The tactician let out a sigh. "Oh well. I guess I can't help it," she said before she got up from her seat. "I'll tell the cook to make something good for you. Once you regain your strength, we'll explain everything to you…" she looked into Itachi's eyes. Unlike before, his eyes were no longer red. It seemed that she had figured out that Itachi could change the color of his eyes. "I do have a feeling that there's something different about you. I can't say what it is, but the feeling is there. I can sense it…" she said before she turned around. "Well, see you later."

And so, Robin left Itachi alone in the room.

"…" Itachi blinked several times in bemusement. "…What a strange lady," he mused to himself. But he was sure of one thing; he knew that he could trust her. There was something strange about that one particular young woman. From what he could tell, she might be around his age, or probably one or two years older than him. Her obsidian-colored hair was short and a little messy, but Itachi found these features of her made her rather charming, in a way. And her bulky-looking coat also seemed to be hiding the fact that she was actually rather tiny for a woman around her age.

In the end, Itachi just sighed. He was still hungry. He had no choice but to wait until someone came in to bring him food.

* * *

So far, Itachi Uchiha seemed to understand what kind of world he had been thrown into. Robin's explanation was quite concise and understandable, and she told him about everything he needed to know like the names of places, terms and the names of a few significant people that one needed to know. Itachi was thankful that Robin was there to deliver the explanation to him.

"So, are you saying that Ylisse is currently under threat of war by Plegia?" Itachi asked after Robin was done giving her explanation to him about the current events.

The tactician nodded. "Yes. Plegia is our westerly neighbor, and there is quite a bad history between Ylisse and Plegia. You can ask Chrom about it later, but you can say that Plegia is the reason why there were bandits and ruffians attacking the small towns of Ylisse…" she looked down. "They have been hurting innocent civilians, which is very unforgiveable. That's why the Shepherds have been around, maintaining peace and order in Ylisse."

"But a small band of warriors isn't enough to watch over the whole country," Itachi said. From Robin's explanation earlier, Ylisse didn't have a great military prowess as it had to rely on its neighbor for assistance.

Robin nodded. "That's why we asked for Regna Ferox's assistance. Unlike Ylisse, Ferox is a militant nation which can provide us with enough manpower in case war erupts between Ylisse and Plegia…" then, she muttered softly. "But it'll be better if we don't have to fight."

Itachi could understand her well. Being someone who had grown up during war, he knew quite well the horror that wars could bring. Experiencing the horror in such a young age, he gained an understanding that helped him to overcome the curse of his bloodline in order to seek peace. He desired peace more than anyone else, but he was too young and too naïve to realize that he was too misguided in his attempt to keep order and peace. He could find other ways for himself to avoid bloodshed, but instead, in order to prevent a civil war within Konoha, he was forced to annihilate his fellow clansmen. Deep inside, such action tore him apart, but he knew that someone had to do it, or else everyone might have to suffer the consequences. He had yet to forgive himself for committing such atrocity, but there was nothing else he could do, and as a Shinobi, there was no time for hesitation.

"Itachi…?" Robin's voice snapped him back into reality. "Itachi, what is the matter? Is something bothering you?" there was concern in her tone as she asked him that question. Currently, both of them were walking side-by-side down the corridor in the castle which was located in Ylisstol.

"It is nothing," Itachi replied with a smile. "It's just that… wherever I go, there will be always conflicts. It's the same like my place," he sighed as he looked up.

"Your place?" the tactician recalled that time when Itachi introduced himself as Itachi Uchiha of the Leaf Village. "Do you mean the Leaf Village? Is there where you came from?" she didn't remember any Leaf Village, or at least not from any maps or books that she had read before. This part of Itachi made Robin rather curious about this particular Shinobi.

"Yes. Many things happened and I don't know where to start," Itachi sighed softly. "And I don't even know how and why I ended up being here…" he admitted. He didn't know why, but everything just came out naturally as he spoke to her. He couldn't explain it well, but he just knew that he could trust Robin, which was saying something, considering that he was a Shinobi who was trained to not trust anyone, even comrades. Sure, he would trust anyone if he could help it, but only if he had prepared for everything beforehand. Everything would include potential betrayal or such.

"It seems you're having it rough, Itachi. I'm sorry to hear that," Robin gave Itachi a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry. I'll sort things out with you. I promise."

"Miss Robin…" Itachi looked at Robin, and for a while, their eyes met. He immediately looked away and then coughed into his fist. "What I want to say is… thank you. I'm glad to have someone I can rely on here…" he said.

Robin chuckled. "I'm glad to help."

And so, these two started chatting while walking alongside each other. Their main topic seemed to be about Frederick's particular dislike towards venison. She told Itachi about the prank she pulled on him about feeding him bear meat. Itachi found it to be quite funny.

But their conversation was disrupted by the incoming sight of a certain young Cleric. She almost bumped into Itachi as she ran.

"Lissa…?" Robin said. "Lissa, what's the matter?" she asked the young Cleric, Lissa, who seemed to be quite distraught about something. She was holding her staff tightly and she was on verge of tears as Robin tried to calm her down. "Lissa, is something wrong?"

"R-Robin… M-Maribelle… s-she… she's…" Lissa was unable to come up with anything coherent.

"What's wrong with Maribelle?" Robin asked, starting to worry. "Now that you mention it, I haven't seen her around. What happened to her?" she asked.

"M-Maribelle… s-she's been captured by Plegians!" Lissa cried.

"What?" Robin gasped. "I-it can't be…"

As for Itachi, he didn't understand what's going on here, but from what he could tell, someone was in trouble. Being a person he was, now that he had no more reason to hide it, he would like to do anything in order to help that someone.

And then, people would be able to see why he was the genius among the Shinobi.

TO BE CONTINUED


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Hello, dear reader. I apologize for this late update. It was because of writer's block and inability to come up with ideas on how to make things more interesting. After procrastinating for quite a while, I decided to follow the canon for the time being, but if you have noticed, you may see a few differences here compared to what happened in the game. I hope you'll like this chapter, and until the next update, see you guys later.

**Summary:** Itachi Uchiha should be dead at this point, but somehow, he found himself not only alive, but also in a completely different world where shinobi never existed. After fighting a group of undead, unintentionally seducing a red-haired merchant girl, he stumbled upon Chrom and his Shepherds, where he came to know a certain enigmatic tactician.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto_ or _Fire Emblem Awakening_. Don't be silly.

Enjoy, and if you have time, give me your opinions. May subject to improvement soon.

* * *

From what Itachi could see, he learned that the Exalt, Emmeryn, the current leader of Ylisse, was a peace-loving woman. Even after learning that one of the nobles had apparently been kidnapped, she decided to go for diplomatic approach instead of taking up arms. The leader of Shepherd, Prince Chrom decided to prepare for any sorts of hostility by bringing along the Shepherd to escort the Exalt. After all, they were going to deal with the Mad King of Plegia, King Gangrel himself.

Itachi was brought along with them and was properly equipped. Robin had given him a Killing Edge, a sword that the tactician had purchased when they were at Regna Ferox. It was a slightly-curved, single-edged sword with its hilt wrapped in leather. In the hands of a capable warrior, a single stroke of the blade would be enough to end a battle, and it happened that Itachi had proven himself to be quite a capable warrior at that time when he protected the caravan from the Risens.

"…?"

Was it his imagination or did the gruff-looking, dark-haired man with a Killing Edge sheathed on his hip keep glancing at him with discerning look? Earlier, Robin had told him that the man is named Lon'qu, a swordsman from Regna Ferox. From the way the man presented himself, he could tell that he was more than just capable.

Itachi was thinking to himself before he realized that they had arrived at the destination. They would be meeting the Mad King. Ever a cautious person, the Shinobi looked at his surroundings, noticing the terrain of the area seemed to be quite advantageous for the Plegians to hide their forces. It was already expected that the chance for a negotiation seemed to be slim. Despite the Exalt's insistence for a diplomatic approach, almost everyone in the group knew that bloodshed would be unavoidable.

Keeping his Killing Edge under his cloak, Itachi observed as the leaders of Ylisse and Plegia started talking. He noticed that there was a white-haired, olive-skinned woman standing beside the Mad King. An attractive one and quite scantily-clad, yes, but her attractiveness didn't hide the fact that her very own being radiated maliciousness. Robin also noticed the same thing as she tightened her grip on the tome in her hands.

The royal siblings, Emmeryn, Chrom and Lissa, stepped forward while the rest of the Shepherd, including Itachi, waited behind. The blue-haired prince seemed tense and his hand was put restlessly on the hilt of Falchion. On the other hand, Emmeryn, unlike her brother, seemed calm and collected. The youngest of the royal siblings seemed anxious as she hid herself behind her brother, clutching her staff tightly as she looked around, searching for any sign of her best friend, Maribelle.

The moment King Gangrel opened his mouth, Itachi learned that the Mad King was not a pleasant person to be around. "What's this, then? The Exalt herself, in all her radiance?" he spoke in such an unpleasant and mocking tone and Chrom seemed to be struggling to keep Falchion sheathed. "I fear I must shield my eyes, bwahaha!" the king of Plegia laughed, and Lissa had to clutch on her brother's cape to keep him from charging forward to attack the king.

"King Gangrel," Emmeryn spoke, addressing the Mad King in firm yet polite tone. Unlike her brother, she still kept her calm and composure. "I've come for the truth of this unfortunate incident between us…" she gazed up, looking at the king and his aide.

Instead of King Gangrel, the one who responded to the Exalt was the woman who accompanied the king. "The truth?" the woman brought one finger to the edge of her lips. "I can give you the truth." The woman then let out devilish giggle.

Still keeping up her calmness, the Exalt looked at the aide to address her. "Perhaps milady might first share her name?" she spoke to the white-haired woman.

The white-haired woman frowned for a while before she smiled at the Exalt, and from what the rest of the Shepherd could tell, it wasn't a pleasant smile. With a mock curtsy, the woman introduced herself. "You may call me Aversa…"

Nodding, Emmeryn asked Aversa another question. "Very well, Aversa. Is Maribelle unharmed?"

This time, the Mad King himself responded to the question. "Who? Oh yes, the little blond brat…" he nodded at Aversa and Aversa nodded back before the woman snapped her fingers. Then, they heard the sound of someone struggling before they saw a young woman, restrained and battered being forcefully brought out by a barbaric-looking man.

The young woman, Maribelle, seemed to be relatively unharmed save for a few scrapes and bruises on her face. Despite being restrained, she was still struggling to free herself from her restraint and the man who was restraining her. "Unhand me, you gutter-born troglodyte!" she spat out insult to the man who was restraining her, and the man responded by pushing her ahead, almost causing her to stumble down.

"Maribelle!" Lissa cried as she saw her best friend. Maribelle noticed Lissa's presence as she heard her voice.

"Lissa? Darling, is that you?" Maribelle spoke. She spotted Lissa who was standing near Chrom, still clutching on her staff tightly.

"This girl crossed the Plegian border without our consent. And what's more…" Aversa's tone became more dangerous as she chuckled. "She wounded the brave Plegian soldiers who sought only to escort her safely home."

Hearing such accusation, Maribelle shouted. "Lies! You speak nothing but lies, hag!" she glared at Aversa. "Did they not teach the meaning of the word 'truth' in wretched-crone school?!" she seemed to be visibly pained by the restraint that was put on her, and judging from her look, it was apparent that she was exhausted. But one could admire such ferocity she displayed, despite being subjected to things that could simply break ordinary people. There was no sign of a helpless young girl being traumatized by the event happening to her, but instead a fearless young woman who fought bravely against her oppressors despite the overwhelming odds.

But it didn't look like Aversa was appreciating what Maribelle had displayed to them. "…You see? No manners at all." She gestured at the captured young noblewoman. "Such a nasty little bird simply has to be caged."

Righteous fury filled the eyes of the prince as he took a step forward, his hand already prepared to pull out his ancestral weapon. It seemed that the simple tug from Lissa on Chrom's cape was no longer enough to stop the prince from unleashing his fury. But Emmeryn stopped him from going even further. Despite everything that the Mad King and his aide had expressed to them, the Exalt still wanted to pursue negotiation and diplomatic approach. She held out her hand to prevent her brother from going ahead as she looked at King Gangrel, asking him to continue.

Placing his hand on his chest while grinning smugly, the Mad King of Plegia spoke. "Such a violent temper speaks to her guilt. This will call for a weighty punishment." He smirked as he glanced at Maribelle who seemed to be overpowered by the savage-looking man. Then his face scrunched up into a maddening scowl. "And if she were to later confess to being an Ylissean spy? My goodness!" then he made an expression of mock worry. "It would take an act of CONSIDERABLE good faith to repair our relations"

Earing what King Gangrel had said, Maribelle seemed to start to worry. "I have done nothing wrong! It is they who should confess!" she retorted, her eyes looking at Emmeryn pleadingly. "They are the ones who invade Ylisse! They razed an entire village!"

_"An entire village?!"_

Itachi, who was just listening to the exchange, jerked his head when he heard what the young noblewoman said. These people, they razed an entire village?! They wanted their war, and were willing to destroy the lives of innocents to do so?

"How despicable…" Itachi muttered, his dark eyes started shifting to blood red. Robin who was standing beside him glanced at him in concern, noticing that his eyes had turned to Sharingan once again.

"When I attempted to intervene, they took me and dragged me across the border!" Maribelle continued. "Let the plundered shops and charred homes of that village serve as my proof!"

King Gangrel glanced at the young noblewoman, seemingly unimpressed. "That would only prove Ylisse has a bandit problem – something I hear oft of late…" he gave a mocking smile to the Exalt and Chrom. "But indeed, tonight I shall weep salty tears into my pillow for your dead villagers."

Now sounding desperate, Maribelle looked at Emmeryn, addressing her. "Your Grace, please!"

Despite the situation they were currently in, Emmeryn smiled at the young noblewoman, as if comforting her. "Peace, Maribelle. I believe you…" she said soothingly to Maribelle. Then, with a determined expression, she looked up at King Gangrel. "King Gangrel, I request that you release this woman at once. Surely you and I can sort out these affairs without the need for hostages."

Despite Emmeryn's attempt in diplomacy, King Gangrel responded to the Exalt's words with rude dismissal. "Without so much as an apology? Why should I even bother with parley?" he scoffed. "I'm within my rights to have her head this instant and be home in time for supper."

This time, Chrom did not attempt to hide any signs of restraint as he unsheathed Falchion. "You black-hearted devil!" he shouted.

The Mad King rolled his eyes, not showing any signs of being terrified by the sight of the blade that supposedly vanquished their god many years ago. "Control your dog, my dear, before he gets someone hurt."

"Calm down, Chrom…" Emmeryn spoke to her brother.

"Ngh…" the blue-haired prince didn't sheathe back his sword, but he lowered Falchion as he glared at the Mad King before them.

Clearing his throat, King Gangrel spoke again. "Now then, Your Graceliness. Perhaps we can arrange a trade?" the king suggested. "You give me the **Fire Emblem,** and I return Mari Contrary here in one piece."

_"Fire Emblem?"_

Itachi considered asking Robin about it later as he continued listening to the exchanges. While they were talking, Robin had already opened her tome, her expression grim.

"Itachi…" the tactician spoke. "I suggest you to prepare yourself."

Itachi nodded before he continued listening to what they said.

"Ugh…" then, they heard King Gangrel groaning. "Taaaaaalk talk-talk-talk-talk. It's time to speak louder than words!" the Mad King chuckled madly. "This negotiation is over, Your Luminosity! I shall have the Emblem if I have to pry it from your shiny dead hands!"

As if on cue, a few Plegian soldiers emerged from their hiding, brandishing their weapons. Immediately, Chrom stepped forward, standing protectively in front of his older sister, wielding Falchion in one hand. Then, he charged forward, swinging down his ancestral weapon upon one of the enemies, cutting him down with absolute ease, killing him instantly. Itachi saw it, and was impressed. There had to be a reason why a royalty like Chrom was in charge of being the leader of the Shepherds. "Stay back!" Chrom roared. "Or you'll all suffer the same fate!" he brandished the sword, bloodstained by the enemy slain by him earlier.

Grinning madly, King Gangrel spoke with glee. "Now that's a declaration of war if I've ever heard one…" he said. "A big, messy war that will bleed you Ylisseans dry. Bwahahaha!" he laughed.

As for Maribelle, she was shocked to hear about the declaration of war, which might probably be caused by her. Aversa approached her, standing before her and grabbed her on her chin rather forcefully before she giggled. "Poor, stupid girl…" she spoke in mock sympathy. "Are you really worth fighting a war over?" she smiled mockingly as she saw the young noblewoman's devastated look. "Years from now, you'll be remembered only as she who destroyed House Ylisse…" she giggled again.

Apparently, her words were enough to break Maribelle's resolve. Any sign of bravery and confidence started crumbling down, and Aversa seemed to be savoring the moment as she looked at the young noblewoman's despairing look. "No… t-that's not…" she choked out. Then, she looked at Lissa, who also had that despairing look on her face. "Oh Lissa… p-please no…"

Smiling cruelly, Aversa looked at the soldier who was restraining Maribelle. He nodded before he raised his axe. Chrom saw it and went to charge forward in order to save the noblewoman, but he was too far from her to reach her in time. Itachi also unsheathed his Killing Edge while making a hand seal with one hand. The soldier was about to swing down the axe onto Maribelle before something happened.

_"Elwind…"_

* * *

A gust of wind buffeted the soldier who was restraining Maribelle, and the invisible wind blades cut through the soldier. All those invisible wind blades deliberately missed her, somehow. The soldier screamed in pain as he released his hold, freeing Maribelle. This allowed Chrom to finally reach them, grabbing the noblewoman in one hand and cut down the soldier with the other. The soldier rasped out his last breath before he fell down, dead.

"Are you okay?" Chrom asked Maribelle as he cut down the rope that tied her hands.

"Y-yes!" Maribelle squeaked out an answer, her cheeks turned red.

"Thank the gods…" Chrom showed the noblewoman a relieved smile before he looked at the soldier he slew. "But who-"

He heard the sounds of footsteps before a boy emerged from his hiding, holding an Elwind tome in his hands, clad in mage clothing and wearing an oversized hat. "Chrom!" he exclaimed. His appearance caused Aversa to take a few step back.

"Ricken?!" Chrom couldn't hide his surprise as he saw the youngest of the Shepherd showing up in this place. "What are you doing here?!"

"Milord," regaining her composure, Maribelle spoke to the prince. "We can talk about this later. Let us fight," she said as she started regaining her confidence as well.

"Right," Chrom nodded. "Ricken, can you protect Maribelle?"

The young mage grinned. "You can count on me, Chrom!"

Smiling, Chrom turned around and brandished his sword before he charged through the enemy and shouted, "Robin, now!"

Hearing the order, Robin relayed her orders to the rest of the Shepherds. "Stahl and Vaike, go and protect the Exalt! The rest follow me and fight the enemies!"

And so, the Shepherds charged forward, engaging the enemies. Aversa, who came back to her senses, tried to attack Maribelle, but Ricken intercepted her by launching another Elwind attack.

"Khh!" the invisible wind blades managed to injure the woman, and she could feel her arms bleeding. "D-damn you…" she growled. "Kill them!"

A few axe-wielding soldiers showed up to attack both Maribelle and Ricken, but before they could even get any closer to them, arrows pierced through the chinks of their armors, and some of them fell down, dead while the others were grievously injured. From a distance, a fabulous-looking man who was holding a bow dramatically brushed his hair.

"Hah! As expected from the archest of archers!" the man, Virion dramatically exclaimed. A cavalier in red, Sully rolled her eyes while looking at the fabulous-looking archer as she stabbed a spearman in the head with her lance.

"This is it…" Robin spoke, fire dancing around her fingers, holding an Elfire tome in one hand. "Itachi, are you ready?"

"Yes," Itachi replied. He saw a few soldiers approaching them, and he figured out that they needed to be eliminated as soon as possible. And so, he closed his eyes before he reopened them.

_"Amaterasu…"_

TO BE CONTINUED


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Hello, dear reader. This time, I has more free time, and as a result, I have more time writing more chapters for this story. So, this is the fourth chapter of the story, Curses and Bonds. And Miriel being naturally curious about many things, it is only natural for her to be curious about Itachi's Tsukuyomi. Please be noted that at the start of this story, Itachi is weakened slightly due to him being recently alive again after spending quite a while as an undead lackey of Kabuto. He needs some time to properly adjust himself as a living being because he's no longer an undead ninja with unlimited chakra supply. There has to be some limitations for him despite his status as a prodigy. He may end up growing stronger over time, but that will be something to look forward in future chapters.

Because this is a Fire Emblem fanfiction, in case Itachi ends up marrying any of the Fire Emblem female characters, his child may end up inheriting some of his skills, which includes his Uchiha blood and Sharingan. I suggest you to look forward for this in the future, because of the nature of the Sharingan itself. So, I hope you like this chapter.

**Summary:** Itachi Uchiha should be dead at this point, but somehow, he found himself not only alive, but also in a completely different world where shinobi never existed. After fighting a group of undead, unintentionally seducing a red-haired merchant girl, he stumbled upon Chrom and his Shepherds, where he came to know a certain enigmatic tactician.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Naruto_ or _Fire Emblem Awakening_. Don't be silly.

Enjoy, and if you have time, give me your opinions. May subject to improvement soon.

* * *

A Plegian soldier screamed in pain as his body was engulfed in fire, courtesy to Miriel's Elfire. The soldier was soon taken out of his misery as Lon'qu cut him down with a slash of his Killing Edge. The Feroxi myrmidon gave the bespectacled mage a nod before he went ahead to cut down more Plegians. The burning remain of the soldier Lon'qu had slain was on the ground, the smell of burnt flesh lingered in the air.

Ever a curious person, Miriel looked at the corpse. There were no Plegian soldiers nearby, and the rest of the Shepherds were dealing with the Plegians that emerged from their hidings, so she was free to satiate her scientific curiosity on how fast a human body could burn after being hit by a fire spell. It happened that she couldn't test it on herself due to the inefficiency of using one's own body in order to collect data. This perfect opportunity could only come in the battlefields, and the mage would seize the opportunity whenever she saw it.

Miriel scrunched up her face and adjusted her glasses while she was observing the burnt corpse. The smell of burnt flesh was a tad unbearable, but for the sake of her scientific curiosity, she had to endure it for a while. But her concentration was broken by the sounds of shouting and screaming, which came from the enemies. Miriel looked at the direction of the sounds, and she was unable to hide her surprise as she saw what was happening before her eyes.

Four Plegian soldiers were on fire, _black_ fire to be exact. The bespectacled mage's eyes widened as she saw the phenomenon occurring before her eyes. She never saw such thing before. It had to be some kind of magic. Unlike ordinary fire, the black flames consumed all, and they seemed _alive_. The black flames consumed their victims wholly, not even leaving any charred corpses behind. How a person could conjure such horrifying things, Miriel had no idea. Being a woman who actively pursued knowledge, the thought of having no idea slightly infuriated her.

It had to be someone who conjured the hellfire. Most probably Robin. She was quite exceptional in many things, swordsmanship and magic in particular. Having her conjuring hellfire to defeat the enemies wouldn't be off the mark, the mage thought to herself.

But then, she spotted a man clad in black cloak with red cloud patterns on it. She barely recognized the man as the new addition of the team, a person who was recently recruited by Chrom a few days earlier. She remembered seeing him in action when he rescued a group of merchants from Risens, in which he displayed exceptional yet unconventional swordsmanship, while at the same time, breathing out fireballs. She assumed that it had to be some kind of sorcery that she had yet to learn or know.

And being naturally a curious person, Miriel thought that it was a case worth studying. But perhaps it was for another time, in which she could properly study this matter leisurely. She adjusted her hat before she joined the rest of the team, hurling fireballs at the enemies.

"Hmm?" Robin noticed that Miriel was taking a more active role this time. "Is it just me or does Miriel seem more motivated?" she muttered. Most of the time, the bespectacled mage would wander around the battlefield to sate her scientific curiosity rather than engaging the enemies. At the same time, she held an Elthunder tome, electricity flickering on her fist. "Well… time to tip the scale!"

The female tactician unleashed a concentrated lightning spell onto one of the enemy soldiers, causing his body to convulse violently. Quickly taking out her sword, Robin charged towards the enemy before she sink the blade into his body. The sword pierced through the soldier's body as Robin stabbed him in the torso. Then, she pulled the sword out, and the enemy fell down, dead.

Smiling triumphantly, Robin slashed the air. "Now that's strategy." And then, she rushed forward, aiming to assist Chrom.

* * *

"Don't look down on me!" Ricken shouted, releasing a gale of wind towards the enemies, holding his Elwind tome in one hand. Maribelle stood behind her, holding a spare staff that Chrom had given to her so that she could assist the young mage in battle. A few dark mages of Plegia were blown off their feet while a wyvern rider lost control of his mount, losing balance before falling to the ground, breaking his neck. He spent the last seconds of his life in agony before expiring while his wyvern mount flew away.

Not too far from them, Chrom was busy fighting a group of myrmidons. Despite fighting multiple opponents at the same time, he seemed to be handling the situation without difficulty. Armed with Falchion, he deflected the attacks from the Plegian myrmidons with ease before he killed one of them with a slash. The slain myrmidon fell to the ground, his chest sliced open by Chrom's attack.

Seeing the prince of Ylisse in action, Ricken couldn't help but to smile. Before, he was always brushed off due to his youth, and it was a fact he couldn't exactly appreciate. But now, he was fighting side-by-side with Chrom and the rest of the Shepherds, and he had promised to himself that he wouldn't let him and the others down. After all, he was tasked to protect Maribelle from any harm by Chrom himself. There's no way he could disappoint him.

"Ricken, watch out!"

The young mage could barely react to Maribelle's warning when he felt a sharp pain on the side of his head. Before he knew it, he was on the ground, his hat was no longer on his head. He could feel his head throbbing and bleeding.

Then, he saw a wyvern rider, armed with an axe not too far from him. Apparently, he was the one who attacked him from behind. He was lucky that his attack only grazed on the side of his head instead of hitting him head on. If he took the direct blow, he might ended up having his skull split open. Even so, the attack left quite a nasty wound on the side of his head.

The wyvern rider, probably the leader of these soldiers, was looking at Ricken who was assisted by Maribelle to stand up. The wyvern rider, Orton was grinning as he licked the blood on his axe.

Despite being injured, Ricken remained standing, holding his tome open. Maribelle used her staff to heal Ricken's wound. Orton was about to deliver another attack when his wyvern mount was shot in the head with a fireball. Orton almost lost his balance, but as an experienced soldier and wyvern rider, he regained control. He was about to turn around to look at the person who attacked him and his wyvern mount, only to have someone jumping onto his mount.

He looked in front of him, and his eyes met a pair of crimson pupils, three black pinwheels spinning in each of them.

_"Tsukuyomi…"_

* * *

Orton felt strange.

One second ago, his soldiers were fighting against the Shepherds. And then, everything went black. When he came back to his senses, he, along with his wyvern mount, were the only ones here. There was no sign of his fellow Plegians or the Shepherd. The landscape was empty, and there was no single living thing could be found except him and his mount.

Orton looked up. Somehow, the sky seemed red. Blood red.

Feeling discomfort from his surroundings the wyvern rider got down from his mount, watching his surroundings warily. He held his axe in one hand, preparing himself for anything that might show up to attack him.

Then, he saw a man, standing before him. The man's features were silhouetted in shadow, but he could perfectly see a pair of glowing crimson eyes. Unnerved, the Plegian wyvern rider stepped back before he brandished his axe.

"Who the hell are you?!" Orton shouted. He could feel those crimson eyes boring deep into him, as if staring into his very soul. Orton was a proud soldier and he would proudly admit that he was afraid to only a few things.

But those crimson eyes frightened him.

"Answer me, damn you!" Orton said, trying to not be intimidated by the crimson-eyed man.

"…" the man did not say anything as he held his Killing Edge in one hand. His crimson eyes stared unblinkingly at Orton.

"S-say something, will you?!" Orton started to sound desperate. "O-or… I'm going to kill you!"

The crimson-eyed man took a step forward.

_"Kill me? I wish to see you try."_

Orton sensed that someone was standing behind him. The wyvern rider immediately looked back, and saw he crimson-eyed man standing right behind him. The one who was in front of him turned into a murder of ravens.

"H-how…?"

_"The moment you looked into my eyes, I trapped you into an illusion. The only ways for you to break yourself free from this illusion is by disrupting the flow of my chakra or having someone else applying a sudden surge of chakra into you. Since you are capable in doing neither, you are completely under my mercy."_

Orton was surrounded by a dozen of similar-looking men with crimson eyes, each of them holding a Killing Edge. Orton was trying to do something, to say something, but he was unable to do either. He felt like his whole body was turned into a giant slab of ice, and his mouth felt like it was sewn shut. The red sky was filled with crows and ravens, their obsidian feathers scattered everywhere.

_"In this illusion, your perception of time is altered. A few seconds seem like many days. And considering that we have more time to spare, why don't we test something? Let us see how long your mind can withstand before it breaks beyond repair."_

* * *

"What did you do to him?" Chrom asked as Itachi jumped down from the wyvern, still holding the prone Orton, his eyes rolled back, his mouth foaming. The prince saw the Shinobi looking into Orton's eyes before the wyvern rider started screaming.

"I cast an illusion on him," Itachi answered, dropping the now despondent Orton to the ground. "His mind is completely broken. It's unlikely he will recover from this…" the Uchiha let out a soft sigh. "I suppose a Tsukuyomi is too much for someone like him…" a normal Genjutsu would suffice in order to incapacitate the wyvern rider. And because of the usage of both Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu required a great amount of chakra, he almost completely drained his whole chakra reservoir, making him feel tired.

Apparently, being alive again after spending quite some time as an undead that could use unlimited chakra reserve, he couldn't exactly predict the exact amount of chakra he needed to use in battle. He probably needed to get used to being alive again.

"An illusion…" Chrom muttered, sheathing back his sword. "It is my first time seeing someone applying illusions in the midst of battle," he looked at Orton, still despondent. "Someone like you makes a terrifying enemy, and a valuable ally." He also saw Itachi conjuring the black flames earlier that burned those Plegian soldiers to ashes, without even leaving burnt corpses behind. A terrifying enemy, indeed.

"I am glad that you think highly of me, Prince Chrom," Itachi responded to the prince of Ylisse. The battle was already over, and both King Gangrel and Aversa were nowhere to be found. They might have already escaped the battlefield, thinking that Orton and the rest of the Plegian soldiers would eliminate the Exalt and the Shepherds due to their great number. Thanks to Robin's planning and strategies, however, they were able to fight back the Plegians without much effort. Emmeryn was safe and unharmed, thanks to the protection from both Stahl and Vaike, and the only one who was terribly injured was Ricken, who was caught off-guard by Orton's surprise attack earlier while the young mage was protecting Maribelle. Even so, Ricken fought valiantly against the Plegian soldiers, displaying his prowess in battle. Despite his young age, the mage fought admirably well.

Itachi looked at the corpses of the Plegian soldiers that they killed in the battle earlier. Being exposed to death since young age, he already got used to seeing dead bodies right in front of his eyes. That was how he got his eyes, the Sharingan. Unlike the rest of his clansmen, however, he did no succumb to the inherent curse of his bloodline, the Curse of Hatred.

The Curse of Hatred made an Uchiha more violent, more dangerous. The Uchihas were a group of people who were greatly devoted to love and friendship. It could be said that these Uchihas were obsessive, because the moment they lost their loved ones, their love would transform into hatred. As a result of the change, they got their eyes, the Sharingan as the byproduct of the curse.

In a way, it could be said that Itachi himself did succumb to his own brand of Curse of Hatred, due to all the deaths he saw before his own eyes. Instead of being selfish due to the effect of the curse, however, the curse caused him to devote himself fully to the Hidden Village of Konoha to the point of ridiculousness. Due to his love to his village, he was willing to commit atrocities like massacring his own clansmen in order to protect his village from an imminent civil war.

"Itachi, are you alright?" the Shinobi felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He looked behind and saw the concerned face of Robin, who gasped when she saw his face. "Y-your eyes!"

"Hmm?" Itachi looked at the tactician bemusedly before he realized what she meant. He felt stinging pain in both of his eyes, particularly in his left. After conjuring the black flames of Amaterasu earlier, tears of blood poured out endlessly from his left eye, which was caused by the strain from using the Ninjutsu. If used excessively, his eyes might waste away, causing his sight to deteriorate to the point of blindness. "Oh, this?" he pointed at the trail of blood on his cheek. "There is no need to worry. Just a side effect of using Amaterasu, I assure you."

"Amaterasu?" Robin gave Itachi a curious look, her brows furrowing. "Do you mean the black flames you conjured?" she was curious about the black flames as well. It was her first time seeing such thing, and despite her excessive reading and studying, she had never seen such thing before.

"Yes," Itachi nodded before he fell on his knees. "Urgh…" he grunted. "I was careless. I used too much of my chakra." His skin was pale and he had difficultly standing up due to his chakra deprivation. Despite being a Shinobi prodigy, he was not an Uzumaki, the people who were naturally gifted with ridiculously enormous chakra reserve. At best, he was just above average in term of chakra reserve.

With Itachi being exhausted (and left eye continuously bleeding), both Lissa and Maribelle offered to heal him. In the meantime, Chrom went to speak with his sister, Emmeryn. Both Frederick and Robin walked alongside him.

Chrom lowered his head as he stood before the Exalt. "Forgive me, Emm," he said. "I acted rashly." Due to the provocations from the Mad King himself, he was the one who dealt the first blow.

"It's alright, Chrom," Emmeryn shook her head. She was fully aware of the reason behind her brother dealing the first blow earlier. "King Gangrel is the one at fault here. You were only protecting me." The Exalt also believed that she was at fault as well for the failed negotiation attempt with the Mad King of Plegia. If only she could have done better, the outcome wouldn't turn out like this.

Folding his arms on his back, Frederick interjected, "The Mad King will be rallying his forces, if they have not mobilized already." Frederick the Wary then advised, "I suggest we make haste back to Ylisstol and discuss our strategy."

Nodding grimly, Emmeryn looked at the most experienced member of the Shepherd and war veteran. "Of course, Frederick."

The Exalt closed her eyes. Then she turned around and opened her eyes before she looked up to the sky.

"It seems war is upon us."

Then she glanced over her shoulder, looking at the three people behind her, a determined expression seen on the Exalt's beautiful visage.

"We must protect the Ylissean people at all costs."

TO BE CONTINUED


End file.
